Pinkvale Avenue
by RinnySega
Summary: San Francisco is under siege of a new magic that threatens the balance of good and evil, and things become even more interesting when a small, white creature proposes a certain contract of magical powers to Jade. Will love bloom for two sides of the conflict or will the fighting have them all succumb to the power of dark forces?
1. Chapter 1

For Jade Chan and her family, Saturday mornings in San Francisco had become a perpetual state of Sunday, where idle hands were never cured by dinner and each morning called for stale leftovers and tea. Several months had passed since the closing of the demon portals, no sight or sound from Valmont and the rest of his men, and without the Dark Hand to foil, Jade's summer had ultimately become nothing short of a drag.

And as she sat up in bed, she couldn't help but think what another waste of a perfectly good California day.

"Ah, good morning, Jade," her Uncle Jackie greeted as she came down the stairs, her hair uncombed and wild with her pajama sleeve slipping at the shoulder.

Just like every day since their return to the states, there he was when she awoke: sitting up to wait for her at the table with the morning paper folded in his lap and a cup of tea cradled in his palm. Something else predictable to look forward to.

"Or should I say," he continued, "good afternoon, Jade."

"Yeah, yeah. I stayed up watching the monster marathon on TV," she responded without much charisma. "Same marathon they played last week…and the week before that…and the week before that."

She poured herself a bowl of cereal her uncle left for her on the table as she took her seat across from him. No Dark Hand meant no more Section 13, and no more Section 13 meant having to stay at Uncle's. It was hard enough for her to say goodbye to the hidden fortress she'd come to know and love, but to be fair, she wasn't the only one suffering. The move was hard for Tohru too who inevitably had to relocate to an apartment complex up the road. At least that was something different, although she didn't like having to bike up the hill to visit him on days off.

"You know school will be starting soon, Jade," Jackie mentioned. "Shouldn't you be getting ready by getting yourself on a proper sleeping schedule?"

"I've got at least another month. That's plenty of time to do _absolutely nothing_ fun with the rest of my summer."

"You want fun huh? I have an idea. Why don't you come with me to the library? They just acquired a new shipment of translated texts from the South Americas and a new documentary on the history of Oktoberfest."

"Sounds like Snoresfest to me."

The bell rang above the shop's main entrance, and Jade took the opportunity to turn her shoulder at her uncle and eat her breakfast in peace. The chattering of Uncle drifted its way to the table as he soon appeared with Tohru close behind, his massive arms cradling some new merchandise for the shop's shelves.

"And don't put those Ming vases too close to the sun, it washes out color."

"Yes, _sensei_."

"And don't put terra cotta ornaments on the counter. Children knock them off and break them."

"Yes, _sensei_."

"One more thing," he turned to Tohru, his fingers raised. "When you put spell book on my desk, do not leave open. Jade is being reckless. Get milk all over pages."

Jade had only just lifted the bowl to her face to wash down her milk when she heard his remark. Grunting to herself, she set it back down on the placemat.

"Yes, _sensei_." Tohru smiled with a modest bow as he set to work doing what his master asked of him.

"How was your walk, Uncle?" Jackie asked as he stood for his relative to take his seat.

"Too cold. Too loud. What happened to children sleeping in all summer and not being out to bother Uncle. Lazy bums. Like Jade?"

"Um, right here, Uncle." Jade commented.

"Right. Still in PJs and just out of bed. Why? Late shift at hospital? Ha. Why can't other children be like you and not bother Uncle on his walks?"

"I think those other children might set a good example for Jade," Jackie said as he put the newspaper under his arm, removing his teacup from the table. "You still have a month before school, young lady, and you really should start getting up early. Don't you want to be ready when it's your first day."

"Uh, because that's stupid?" She huffed. "If I got nothing going on, why can't I sleep in all day?"

"Because you are young and able, and life will pass you by before you realize it."

"Life huh? Well, do you know what would really get me up in the morning, Uncle Jackie?" She lifted her legs into her chair and hoisted herself up on her knees to seem taller, fists at the ready in a fighting stance. "Some good old fashioned J-Team secret spy stuff again." She jabbed the air a few times. "C'mon, that sounds better than going to the library right? It can be like old times. I'd totally get up at six, heck maybe even five, if we could do some of that stuff again."

"Jade, you should be glad we don't have to do any more…eh, silly secret spy stuff anymore."

"But you got to admit it was fun right? Don't you miss the action? The adventure!"

Jackie chuckled as he washed his teacup in the kitchen. "It was exciting, but I think we've all had enough excitement for one lifetime."

"But don't you think it's weird we haven't heard from the Dark Hand in a while?" she whined. "What if they're plotting something? What if they found some new ancient ju ju to tell em what to do? We can't just sit around and wait for them to strike. We have to do something, Uncle Jackie!"

"Jade," he scored, turning around to dry his hands, "we have not heard from the Dark Hand because they have been disbanded. Shendu is gone, the portals are closed, and the talismans are now safe in Section Thirteen."

"But what if they come back?"

"Then Captain Black will inform us if he needs our help. But for now," he set the towel down and walked over to give her a triumphant pat on the back, "let us be glad that is not the case and enjoy this nice day."

Jade rolled her eyes as she pushed away from the table to get dressed.

"Finally going out?" Jackie kidded.

"Good. Bring back better attitude," Uncle said.

The girl sighed in annoyance as she stomped back up the stairs. "Yeah. Anything's got to be better than this."

* * *

"Anything's got to be better than this."

That afternoon in particular was not an exciting one for the Dark Hand either—most notably Shendu as his soul paced to and fro inside his new, inanimate host.

"Say what you will, Shendu, but I much prefer you like this instead of the alternative," Valmont said. His back to his desk, he leaned slightly in order to get a better look at the dragon pendant now hanging from an ornate hook on the wall, nothing more than a decorative, gaudy necklace to any other passersby. But to the wealthy British tyrant, the trinket was something more: a new home to the demon sorcerer after a brief encounter with Jackie Chan in Hong Kong. A failure of a sorcerer as far as he was concerned, although he dared not to say it out loud.

"Hmm. Despite the miniscule quarters, I would have to agree," the dragon sneered, the pendant's eyes glowing red with pulsing, raging life. "Having to dwell inside your human flesh was putrid enough for my tastes, but with your mobility it would have been easier to plot my revenge."

"You do realize you're only talking nonsense of course," the other retorted. "There is no revenge to be had. Chan has sealed the portals and now you're stuck like this."

"If there were a way, I would take my revenge on Chan and my brothers and sisters for their hostility toward their own kind. Perhaps another way to rewrite history to where they are never even born to challenge me might be a better option."

"And how do you plan to do that as a broach? Hmm? Pin Father Time himself to death?"

The dragon sneered as a small voice drifted from behind the man.

"Uh, Big-V?" Finn asked across the room. "Does this mean we're excused for lunch?"

Valmont grunted in disapproval toward his hired help. "I would think that by turning away from you three for twenty minutes and talking to a pendant would indicate I was done speaking with you and for you to leave."

"Oh, okay cool, cool," he drifted off "…but uh, do we still get an hour or do we get forty minutes? Since you know, there was a bit of a miscommunication thing-"

"Will you leave?" he shouted in the echoing room.

"Alright, alright," Finn put his hands up in defense as the three Enforcers backed away to the exit. "Yeesh…have a cow why don't ya?"

"Or a dragon," Ratso jeered on their way out.

Valmont sighed, and rubbed his temples. "It seems no matter what I do, I can't seem to be rid of either of you migraines."

Shendu hissed as the man walked away to pour himself a drink.

* * *

Jade strolled down the side of the street late that afternoon, kicking idly at an empty can as she made her way downtown from her friend's house. Unable to play because of being grounded, Drew's mother sent her off, making that the fourth attempt at finding something entertaining to do in the city. The first of course pleading someone to let her in at Section 13 but to no avail.

"Well, looks like it's just you and me, Grape Pop," she said to the can as she knocked it down the hill. "Til homeless man putting you in his shopping cart do we part."

As she made her way down to the bottom of the hill, she rounded the corner store, continuing to kick the can for another few yards before it rolled sideways and landed underneath a window to the doughnut shop. Tired of her game and wanting something else to do, Jade went to retrieve it and toss it in the trash when she happened to glance up at three of the patrons sitting inside at a booth: Ratso, Chow and Finn. The Enforcers, all huddled together deep in a discussion.

Her mouth widened in surprise as she ducked beneath the windowsill. "I knew it," she whispered to herself. "The Dark Hand's definitely up to something sneaky. Got to get closer and hear what they're saying."

With a group of tourists walking by, Jade slipped inside the fray and bolted into the door, grabbing a newspaper on her way in.

"Do you think we'll be getting paid today?" Ratso asked. He scooped out the last of his melted milkshake, disappointed that he ate the cherry early. "I mean I got my sister's shower next month, and I wanna make it out there and get her something nice, you know?"

"Well we didn't do anything, so wouldn't surprise me if we didn't," Chow commented over the crusts of his finished turkey club.

"Well Valmont's still taking up our precious time, so we better be getting something out of it," Finn said as he leaned back in the booth he had to himself. His legs were kicked up, feet nestled in the seat between his comrades. "Valmont's not the only guy around here with problems. I got bills to pay too you know."

"Yeah, starting with this one," Ratso joked as he slid over the food ticket.

"I'm serious." He pushed it away with his fingertips for the time being. "I've been packin' a glock since that damn emerald incident, and I'm telling you, if Big-V thinks he can stiff us again on the paychecks, he's got another thing coming."

"Oh please," Ratso interjected.

"Yeah, Finn," Chow agreed. "You wouldn't use that on Valmont or you would have already."

"Hey, time and place, ladies. Speaking of ladies, I need a refill." The bell rang above the door as Finn glanced over for the waitress. His eyes fell on the girl sitting at the booth across from theirs. "Hey, isn't that Chan's kid?"

Jade gasped behind the paper and slid further into her chair as the two others turned to face her.

* * *

"C'mon kitty, kitty..." a boy teased as he played with a pebble in his hands. He'd followed the creature into the back alley when it disappeared, and he smirked, wanting nothing more than to actually hit it with the rock. "Just wanna play a game with you." He stepped forward into a shadow.

He barely noticed the ground become a yellow brick road or the buildings become stone soldiers before he stopped, hearing a snickering from behind. The sky had gone. The air had turned to ribbon.

And soon after, he too was gone.

* * *

"Get back here!"

Jade huffed as she ran faster from the three men chasing her, wishing she had just snuck into Section 13 for the sake of it, thinking how nothing would be better for her now except for at least one or two talismans.

"Yeah, what he said!" Another shouted. "We just wanna talk!"

She ran around the corner into an alley, hoping to escape them there when her foot slipped on a smooth, yellow brick that sent her flying before landing square on her back. She coughed and groaned, dizzy as the air around her seemed to thicken into some sort of cloud.

As the three others rounded the corner after her, they too noticed the change in atmosphere as they stopped just before reaching Jade. She lay on the ground, holding her elbow as she stared up at the three of them, worried at first for her safety, then confusion when she saw their faces. Stunned expressions stared ahead, and as Jade sat up to see what they were staring at, she saw her feet dangle over a steep cliff of bricks.

"Ah!" She scampered away, backing into Ratso's legs as the three men paid her no mind. Their focus was on the sudden drop they almost ran right over, and the giant box that floated midair around stone soldiers, ballerinas, ribbons, and other toys and garden gnomes.

"What's going on here?" Chow asked.

"Where's the road?" Finn turned back around to head the way they came, but the alley was gone. They were all several steps away from another fall just behind them, and when they took in the scene around them, they saw they were stranded on a floating island of yellow bricks.

"What kind of magic is this?" Finn asked, pulling the gun from inside his jacket.

"Did you do this?" Ratso pulled Jade up by the hood of her jacket, but she didn't seem to hear. She too was in shock at the kind of illusion they'd stumbled into. As Finn turned to question her, a tune began to play from the box several meters off. A familiar tune they'd each heard at least once in their lifetime.

"Pop goes the weasel?" Jade whispered.

"It's a Jack in the Box?" Chow asked.

"I wonder—AHH!" Jade slipped from Ratso's grip as the music grew louder, the crank bending and twisting as the wind picked up, the darkness settling in around them. The three men seemed to have better footing than herself, so to keep from flying off into the abyss, she held tight to their legs.

"What's…happening?" she shouted.

The men all held their arms to their foreheads to shield themselves from what was happening, and just as the music got louder, the box got bigger.

By the end of the song, the light had completely been extinguished. The colorful toys had turned to stone like the soldiers. And on the last key, the lid popped open with one turn of the crank, and a large jester's head sprung out from inside, its eyes black and hollow with dried, red paint caked around the corner of its chipped, wooden mouth.

The four of them, dazed, watched with still hearts as its head sprung about, side to side like a fish dying on open land, mouth chattering with a wild laughter as it stared down at them on their lonely little island.

"Is it…looking at us?" Jade asked.

"I…uh…" Finn stammered.

The mouth of the toy opened, and a piercing screech filled the void. The sound felt as if it had shattered their ear drums, sending all of them to crouch against one another, their hands over their ears in pain at the wailing of the creature. Only Jade was brave enough to peek her eyes open at the monster to see what it was that was happening. Even her fear was unable to show as it opened its mouth wide, a slimy, flat tentacle drooping down to swallow them whole as it held the island on the tip of its tongue.

"No…No!" she shouted.

"What?" one of the others shouted. "What's happening?"

Tears formed in Jades eyes as she readied herself for what was to happen. But before she could close her eyes and prepare for a final breath, she heard a shout echo out in the distance. She couldn't hear the words, didn't know where it had come from, but the next thing she knew, the screech of a terror had become the wail of something injured. She fell back at the legs of Ratso once again as she bared her energy to look up.

In a flash she saw a caped figure come down the side of the toy, a sword brandished as it sliced through the springs of the bobbled head.

With one final cry of its pain, Jade watched as the figure once again sent a sword clashing down onto the springs to behead it.

"_ULTIMA SECTIS_!" a woman shouted, and the blade came down a final time on the top of the jester's head.

A gust of wind brought them all to their feet as they closed their eyes again from the debris. When the gust subsided, and the shrills and cries were nothing but far off echos, dying in memory, the alley came back to life, only this time, the sun had set and the street lamps flickered in on the unsettling group of humans.

"Did…the girl do that?" Ratso asked with a shaking voice as Chow and Finn both lost balance and collapsed into the gutter.

Without another moment to waste, and short of breath as it were, Jade pulled together the last of her strength and dashed off before the others could notice and pursue her. Although they did notice, they didn't chase her.

The three stood again, holding themselves to keep from shaking.

"We've got to tell Valmont."

* * *

On the rooftop of a pool hall, two figures slumped onto the concrete edge, one panting slightly, legs shaking, as the other scooted closer to her friend, holding out her hand.

"Here," she said, turning the other's palm up. "You killed it; you get first use."

A glimmer between them, a sliver of light that shone off a metallic looking object, sharp to the touch and darker still than the settling night around them.

The girl accepted the gift, letting her fingers curl around it's small weight as she sat up to compare it to another gem she held in her other palm. Her hand outstretched from beneath a dark red riding hood, she let the magic do its work.

Slowly, the gem began to brighten. A soft, red glow shone in the darkness, her lipstick on fire in its light, and her panting to cease as soon as it was over.

She returned it to her friend who then used it on a jewel of her own, a subtle forget-me-not blue that when held to her face and purified, illuminated the wafting strands of a wild, auburn Mohawk that blew gently in the twilight.

What a horrible night to be a witch.


	2. Chapter 2

"So let me get this straight," Valmont said behind his desk. "You chased Chan's niece into an alley—an alley with nobody around—and didn't do anything to stop her from using Talisman magic?"

"But boss—"

"Talisman magic that is your job to bring back to me?"

"But boss—"

"_What_ do you_ think _I gave you electric swords for? Fashion? For cutting cheese to put on crackers at your little get-together tea parties?" He slammed a fist on the desk. "Need I remind you that you work for me and are required to obtain what I ask of you!"

"But it wasn't like that, Big-V!" Finn said. "The girl wasn't doing it. I don't even think she had any talismans."

"Yeah," Chow interjected. "It was some other kind of magic. I've never seen anything like it."

"Completely stumped us, sir," was Ratso's input.

"Good magic?" he asked them.

"I don't think so." Finn rubbed the back of his neck. "Not unless we missed the memo where good hoo-doo becomes weird nightmare hoo-doo."

"Whatever that thing was, it was out to get all four of us—Chan's kid included."

"Hmm." The pendant began to glow on the wall behind the silver-haired British man. "Describe to me this…new magic," it hissed.

The three enforcers looked to each other, silently communicating which of them would speak up without sounding utterly mad. With a nudge, Finn pushed Ratso forward.

"Well?" The pendant glowered.

"Promise not to think we're making this up."

"Today, Ratso." Valmont crossed his arms.

"Well there was this clown thing you see."

"A Jack-in-the-Box," Chow said.

"Yeah, yeah, one of those things. It had to be about fifteen stories high—huge right? It started shrieking, and we were gonna make a run for it, but there was no alley anymore, see? And Chan's kid was just about as confused as we were."

"Right." Valmont inspected his nail. "And you're telling me it just vanished into thin air?"

"That's what we're saying, yeah."

"No wait, didn't you guys see that girl?" Finn stepped forward.

"What girl?"

"Just before that thing was gonna chomp us, I was gonna try to shoot it in the mouth right? And this girl came out of nowhere and sliced the dude's head clean off the spring. Didn't see her too well cause I was concentrating on my aim, but I know my broads when I see em, and this chick came swooping in like a skirt-clad bat with a hood on and everything."

"Must have missed it when I was too busy having my eyes closed."

"Now that you mention it," Chow scratched the side of his face. "I did hear someone shout something before it vanished. Did sound like a girl."

"We sure it wasn't the kid?"

"She was at your feet the whole time, idiot. After that, the clown literally disappeared and we were back in the street, but it was nighttime. We'd been in that weird trip out for like five hours."

"Felt like ten minutes really."

"Hmm. Shendu?" Valmont turned to the pendant.

"If this spectacle has happened the way you described, it is not my doing, and this technique is unknown to me. But…" he paused a moment. "It does interest me. Valmont, have your men find out more about this magic. I am curious about the powers it might harness."

Valmont turned to the others with a smirk of his lip. The three of them huddled back together.

"Boss you can't—"

"Gentlemen, you heard the dragon."

* * *

The child was short of breath and deaf to the shouts of pedestrians and honking horns of streetcars as she ran her way back to her uncle's shop in Chinatown. The bell was almost tossed from its hinge as she burst her way inside, shouting her uncle's name as she made a dash to the backroom.

"Jade?" Jackie turned to the store entrance as he held a hand to the mouthpiece of the phone. "Y-Yes, Captain Black, she's here. Thank you again." He hung up and turned to her.

"Uncle Jackie you won't believe it!" She ran straight into his arms as he knelt down to greet her.

"Jade, where on Earth have you been? Tohru and Uncle are both out looking for you right now. You know better than to run off and stay out past your bedtime, especially without telling us where you're going or what you're doing."

"Jackie, listen to me, I was right! I was out in town today and—"

"Tell me where you were!"

"No, I'm getting to that if you'll let me finish!" She pushed away from him to catch her breath as she took a stance. "I was out in town today and saw The Dark Hand eating at a doughnut place, and when I went in there to listen to what they were saying, they saw me chased me—"

"Jade—"

"Hold on, I'm getting to that! We were in this weird demon place. They chased me there! But I got saved and it was the coolest thing ever! There was this demon toy that was gonna eat us and everything, but something happened, and this thing got its head totally lobbed off. I'm serious Uncle Jackie, the Dark Hand's up to something! They're using some kind of demon magic again; we have to stop them!"

"Jade, listen to me!" Jackie gripped her by her arms to hold her still. "You should not have been following The Dark Hand. They are nothing but trouble."

"But if I didn't, we wouldn't have found out about their new plan!"

"It's Section Thirteen's place to investigate any plans they have. Not yours."

"Uncle Jackie." She took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Look. What's done is done. I'm sorry for following them, but you have to listen to me. They're up to something new and it almost wiped me off the map. Who knows what they're using the magic for? We have to do something. What if it's Shendu again?"

"Then I'll talk to Captain Black about what you said, and he and a team of police officers can investigate, but we are staying out of it, Jade."

"But Uncle Jackie, I was there. I know what this magic does. You guys need me to be a consultant."

"You can consult with your bed for the time being, young lady. I'll call Tohru and Uncle while you go upstairs and brush your teeth. If I were you, I'd start working on your apology for making them worry."

"Apologize for what? Almost being demon chow?"

"_Jade_."

She grunted out her frustrations, heading straight for the staircase. As she made it to the first step, she turned back around. "I'm being serious, Jackie. I know they're up to something, and it's something big."

"Your room." He stood up and crossed his arms.

Pouting, she turned back around and headed up the stairs, her fingers beginning to twitch just remembering the shrieking of the jester's head.

* * *

Across town, a doorbell rang on the second floor of an apartment complex, just as the clock began to strike midnight. Two women sat up in the living room as a goldendoodle between them began to bark, signaling for his owner to quiet him while the other answered for their guests. She swiped her Mohawk back form her face as the door swung open.

"Glad you could make it," she said. "Sorry for the short notice, but I thought it was about time we had a meeting."

Standing in the hallway of the complex were two other girls, one about their age in her mid-twenties with a petite frame and hair put back in a bow, the other much younger who stood behind her, shy as she carried a book bag on her shoulder with a university insignia on the flap. The older of the two stepped in first, handing over a plastic box of four cupcakes, one for each of them, decorated nicely with various fruits and frostings.

"Fucking sweet! Did you make these, Alison?" she asked.

"Yeah, I was baking when I got your text and thought 'Eh, why not bring some over'."

"Baking at this time of night?" She shut the door after the two came in and they all took their seats in the living room. "Sounds like someone else's been fighting witches today too."

"Hey, it's therapeutic to bake after battle," she argued. "And I wouldn't be complaining about it either, Lindsey, since you're getting some of the goods out of it."

"Well shit, who's complaining?" She popped open the lid and took her treat as the dog was pulled from the couch and put into his crate by the shortest out of the four.

Olivia, the college student and youngest of the four, took her place in the middle and turned slightly to the girl who owned the apartment. "Hey Erin, which cupcake do you want?" She set down her book bag on the coffee table, making sure to leave room for the other as she shut the cage.

"Red velvet."

"Okay. Then you can have the strawberry on mine."

"Oh crap, I forgot about the allergies thing, Ollie. Sorry," Alison said beside her.

"It's okay," Erin said on her way back. "If you want the Red velvet you can have it. I'll take strawberry if you don't want it."

"You prissies done being picky yet?" Lindsey licked her fingers of the leftover frosting, her cupcake already consumed. She took her place on the floor on the other side of the coffee table, scooting closer, leaning in. "C'mon, let's talk strategy and get going. Tiff worries when I get in late."

"Right." Olivia set her cupcake aside for the time being as she opened her bag and laid out a map of San Francisco, several circles drawn in marker around some of the more dangerous sides of the city. They all leaned in further as she explained.

"I went ahead and circled the alley where you said a witch attacked, and after I got the text, Alison sent me one too. Here." She pointed to a location by Fisherman's Wharf.

"Jesus, that's ten witches in the past two months," Lindsey said. "Not counting the familiars."

"And still more coming," Alison said. "I mean, I know San Fran's a big city, but these witch raids are getting worse. Two in one night?"

"Which makes me wonder if it's got anything to do with the magical girl disappearances."

Erin looked to Lindsey. "You think the magi who were here before us all got killed by these witches?"

"It's possible, but to be honest, that theory doesn't sit right with me." She twirled a finger in her hair. "Although I'm sure there's a connection in there somewhere."

"How so?" Alison asked.

"Because think about it. We've all been here for a couple months since we got the tip right? Have any of us been killed by a witch yet? No. And from what I hear, there was a group of magical girls who had San Fran as their territory before they vanished. Now tell me, if you were in a group of skilled combatants, would just any old witch take you down? Especially if there were more than three of you?"

"She's got a point," Olivia said.

"There's something fishy going on here, and if I weren't busy at the shelter all day, I'd try to figure out what it was before anymore magical girls go disappearing on witch duty."

"Jeremy's restaurant's opening a sister café this week, so I'm booked during the day. Otherwise I'd try to help too."

"I don't mind doing the Nancy Drew thing," Erin said, finishing her strawberry. "I mean Olivia has summer school, so she's already got a lot on her plate. It'd give me something to do."

"Didn't you get a job yet?" Lindsey asked. "The royalties from that book of yours aren't gonna pay the bills forever."

"Got one last week actually. But part time phone operator isn't quite the same as full time chef and humanitarian. I don't mind spending the afternoons snooping around, seeing what I can find out about the witches in this city."

"Well the quicker we figure this out the better. I don't exactly feel like spending every free night I have fighting these damn things. I got shit to do you know?" Lindsey stretched out her legs, craning her head back.

"I'll try to find a pattern once I start, and maybe I'll start my hunts earlier, before sundown. Maybe if I can take out some witches on my own, it'll give you guys more free time to spend with your boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Aww, look who's playing hero," Lindsey said, turning her head back over.

"You don't have to do that, Erin," Alison leaned over to get a better look at her. "These witches have all been pretty strong lately, even the one I fought today gave me a run for my money, and I've been doing this the longest out of all of us."

"Alison's right." Lindsey got to her knees and put her hand on the map. "So I propose a decree. Right here, right now. Until we figure out why the magical girls have disappeared and why these witch attacks are getting worse, we shouldn't be fighting alone."

"I'll agree to that." Olivia put her hand on top of hers. Alison soon joined with Erin putting her hand on last.

"So let's all agree on a buddy system, okay?" Lindsey said.

"Okay."

They all pressed their hands further together until releasing them in the air. "Together."

The dog barked in the crate as a shadow outside the window caught his attention. A lonely white feline with long appendages coming from its ears, golden hoops around the blushed edges, swished its tail to and fro. A smile played on the lips as it went on its merry way down the side of the building.


	3. Chapter 3

Jade sat at the top of the stairs and leaned over her lap to listen in on her uncle's conversation.

Downstairs, Jackie paced with the phone in hand, the light from a single lamp on the desk to show him his path as his shadow crept along the books and artifacts. His voice was low, but came in loud and clear on such a quiet night.

"Jade seemed pretty excited about what happened yesterday," he said into the receiver. "I know you and your men have other thing on your mind, and I'm sorry I wasn't able to talk about this sooner. Thank you for taking the time to follow up with me on this."

"It's what we do, Jackie." Captain Black relaxed in the passenger seat of the sedan as it sped down the highway, headlights brighter than any other car on the road, with a sheen wax to put any mirror to shame. A twin car followed close behind—reinforcements as they began their night shift—just in case Jackie's lead did lead them to trouble.

"We actually caught signal of The Dark Hand driving to the south side of town about half an hour ago," he continued. "We're tailing them now."

"Please be careful, my friend. I know my niece has a crazy imagination, but knowing Shendu's power and what it's capable of, we can never be too certain."

"We got it covered. My men are armed with the latest in technological advancements and as for myself," he felt in his coat pocket for a rough stone where the figure of a dragon outlined on his fingertip, "I've brought along a little magic of my own."

Jackie stopped his pacing as he stared straight ahead at a map of the Earth tacked to the wall. "You're bringing the talismans?"

Jade gasped upstairs. She quickly held her palm to her mouth.

Talismans? Then it must be something big, she thought.

"Don't worry." Captain Black slipped the Dragon back into his coat. "We're ready for whatever dark magic these guys have to dish out. Although it would be like old times if you were to come along."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but my place is here with my family. It's hard enough keeping Jade out of trouble, even when we're both safe and sound away from the forces of darkness."

Upstairs, a gust of wind came through the room like the sweep of a cape, and through the opaque curtains, Jade was gone into the night.

"I understand," Black said with a solemn tone. "Have a good night, Jackie. I'll get with you tomorrow on what we find." And with that, he shut off the phone, keeping his gaze ahead at the car they followed. "Stay close, but don't give them any ideas. Keep at least two cars between us. We don't want to underestimate their cunning.

* * *

"Why do you get to be Lil' Kim? You're always Lil' Kim!" Ratso shouted from the backseat.

"Because I'm driving," Finn said with a flat tone, his eyes glancing up into the rearview mirror. "Driver picks who they get to play in _Lady Marmalade_."

"But come on, you get to let Chow have two parts."

"That's because Valmont's not here to play Mya. Duh."

"I thought you liked Pink," Chow said as he turned to look at his comrade in the back. "Pink's got some good parts."

"I do like Pink, but she's no Lil' Kim."

"Alright, alright, here's the deal." Finn turned on the turn signal as he sped around a truck. "I'll be Lil' Kim now, and you can be Lil' Kim on the drive back if I can be Christina Aguilera. How's that sound?"

"Whoa, you guys see this?" Chow tapped at a relic in his hand—an ocarina that began to faintly glow in the passing streetlights. "This baby's picking up some magic." He stared out the window and tilted his sunglasses. "In the red light district?"

"Is the relic saying that or are you saying that?" Finn joked.

He gave a pity chuckle. "Both." He nodded toward the ramp as Finn veered off toward the under street by the tracks.

"You got the camera ready, Ratso?"

"Yeah." He held up a camcorder folded between his thick fingers as he too stared out at the rundown houses, apartments, storefronts, and lounges as they passed. He shivered slightly as they passed a half starved dog picking the remnants of what was once a cat or raccoon.

"I don't see any magic going on out here, fellas."

"Well Shendu's GPS here says it's picking up something." Finn turned off the music as they came to a flashing red light up the road. When the car came to a stop, Chow nodded to the end of the street at an abandoned schoolhouse.

"I think that's where we're supposed to go." The instrument began to tremble in his hands, beginning to burn. "Ahh." He dropped it to the floorboard and rubbed his skin. "Ouch.."

"Alright, boys." Finn shifted into gear and floored it.

* * *

Alison hummed a cheerful tune to herself as she drummed her hands on the steering wheel of her car. As a feminine Russian song played on the iPod shuffle she had connected to her cassette player, and nestled in the passenger seat among blueprints for the new storefront, a box of pastries sat with a note thanking her for the hard work, sealed with her first paycheck.

She was just coming into town and passing through the low income side of town when her fingernail began to glow a soft yellow that put the lights of the highway to a dingy shame.

"Hmm?" She turned off the music and got into the slow lane to examine her soul gem she now formed into her palm. It's brightness shone off her face with the urgency of magic nearby—but to any other passersby it would look as if she were checking a message on a cell phone.

"Why now…?"

Fingers curling around the gem, she signaled off the road and parked beside a closed down gas station where she exited the car, staring down at it while her hair wafted in a gentle breeze. Its shine glowered, and when she held it out, it led her to the direction of an old school house down the street. Far off were two brake lights that went out the moment she held her light against it. Her eyes widened as she lowered it.

"Oh no." She slammed closed the car door as she began to run in the direction of the school, pulling her cell phone from her pocket to text as she sprinted.

_Buddy system_, she sent to Erin. _Old school building off exit 224. AND HURRY._


End file.
